New law may allow Matt Lauer accuser to file civil suit: report
Matt Lauer's accuser can still file a civil lawsuit against the former NBC newsman host in the wake of a law passed just last month in New York that gives alleged victims up to 20 years to take certain kinds of legal action, Page Six reported.
Brooke Nevils claimed in Ronan Farrow’s bombshell book “Catch and Kill” that she was sexually assaulted by Today Show anchor Lauer in a Sochi hotel room in 2014 during the Winter Olympics. She came forward to NBC officials about the incident in 2017, prompting Lauer's ousting.
NBC's 'Today' show anchor Matt Lauer models the official Opening Ceremony outfit that Team USA members will wear by Polo Ralph Lauren in New York City, U.S., July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Picture Supplied by Action Images
According to Page Six, Nevils has not suggested she intends on taking legal action. Her legal team did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
However, there is apparently plenty of time to do so. Loyola Marymount law professor David Glazier tells Page Six she could still file a civil lawsuit, pursuant to the law that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo passed last month that extended the time frame for a sexual assault victim to take action to up to 20 years.
“The real challenge with a civil suit is one of jurisdiction. In most civil cases of assault, the case is brought in state courts as a violation of state law,” said Glazier, according to Page Six. “[Nevils] may be able to argue that the trauma of the events in Russia left her in a position of not being able to consent to the subsequent relationship with Lauer in New York.”
While there is no extradition treaty between the U.S. and Russia, law enforcement experts say it doesn't entirely prevent Nevils from being able to file criminal charges against Lauer.
“[If] she made a complaint to the NYPD, they would take the info and forward it to Sochi,” a former high-ranking police source told FOX Business. However, “[if] Sochi asks the NYPD to conduct a [preliminary] investigation they would.”
Nevils has been hounded by the press since details in the book emerged and has used her own social media account to respond to national interest about her personal life.
Comcast, the parent company of NBC News and NBC Universal, has made no announcements suggesting there will be a management shakeup in the wake of Farrow's bombshell book.
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NBC News and Lauer did not immediately respond to Fox Business' request for comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.